Members of the Oregon Nurses Association at six Providence facilities plan to continue picketing this week following a three-day strike that began June 18.
The union represents about 3,000 nurses at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Providence Newberg (Ore.) Medical Center, Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, Providence Medford (Ore.) Medical Center, Providence Hood River (Ore.) Memorial Hospital, and Providence Milwaukie (Ore.) Hospital.
Union members are scheduled to end their strike June 21. Nurses had hoped to return to work that morning, but they will continue their picket at the six facilities "in response to Providence's unlawful lockout of nurses after their three-day strike," according to a union news release shared with Becker's. The ONA plans to picket beginning at 6 a.m. June 21 and again at 6 a.m. June 22.
Providence said it brought in replacement workers for five days because that is the contractual period needed to attract high-quality replacement workers from across the U.S.
"Providence is prioritizing patient care," a health system statement said. "Bringing in a replacement nursing workforce and building clinical contingency plans is a complex process across six hospitals. Doing it well — as we did Tuesday [June 18] — takes a total commitment of hundreds of leaders, volunteers and replacement workers. We also want to honor our contractual replacement period with our temporary nurses."
Both sides have been in negotiations to address issues such as staffing, healthcare, paid time off, and pay.
The union contends that in bargaining, hospital management has not responded to its concerns with serious proposals.
On June 10, Jennifer Burrows, RN, chief executive of Providence Oregon, shared a statement with Becker's, saying that since negotiations began, management has proposed "substantial wage increases and contract enhancements that our nurses have requested." She added that caregivers who are benefit-eligible have access to the same health package.
Oregon's hospital staffing ratio law has also been a topic of contention. The union claims Providence is violating this law "through its unilateral adoption of staffing plans and its repudiation of the safe patient care standards reflected in many existing staffing plans." Providence contends it is following the law as written and that the union's positions are "inconsistent with the statutory language."
More information about the strike is available here and here.